Fiber transfer devices



D. P. MOORE FIBER TRANSFER DEVICES July 2, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 10, 1961 INVEN TOR wmfizmmm ATTORNEY July 2, 1963 D. P. MOORE 3,095,614

FIBER TRANSFER DEVICES ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,095,614 FIBER TRANSFER DEVICES David Pelton Moore, Marlow, N.H. (9210 Flower Ave., Silver Spring, Md.) Filed Aug. 10, 1961, Ser. No. 131,057 Claims. (Cl. 19-99) The present invention relates to improvements in fiber transfer devices for high pile knitting machines, one object of the same being the provision of a device of this type having fewer working elements, and of such a width as to permit a greater number being employed with various sizes of knitting machines, that is 8 to a 23-inch cylinder knitting machine, 16 to a 36-inch knitting machine, and 23 to a 60-inch knitting machine.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a feed-in roll arrangement, which tends to stretch the roving or sliver before delivery to the main drum, sothat a better distribution of the fibers is made on the main drum to be brushed 011? of it to the needles of either a latch or spring needle rotary cylinder machine, thereby giving a more even distribution of the fibers to the needles during the knitting of such fibers into the base web, formed of yarn, and to form a more even pile face to such fabric.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a doffer or bristle brush, the active surface of which is wider than the active surface of the main drum, so that any fibers that creep to'the off side of the main drum are removed by the excess bristles and combed evenly into the hooks of the needles, thus avoiding broken needles and also lumps in the pile.

Still another object ofthe invention is the provision of a transparent roving or sliver inlet, that permits the operator without injury to his fingers to see that the rovingor sliver is properly gripped by the feed-in means.

Still another object of the invention isthe provision of a novel arrangement of bristles in the doffer, so that no radially parallel strips of bristles present themselves to the needles, the strips being on the bias, slantwise or at an angle instead of radially across the surface of the periphery of the carrying drum or pulley-like member.

Attention is invited to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a section through the bed plate and needle cylinder of a rotary cylinder latch needle knitting machine with one of the fiber transfer devices in diagram and in operative position.

FIGURE 2 is a right side view of the fiber transfer device.

FIGURE 2a is a left side view thereof.

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the fiber transfer device.

FIGURE 4 is a longitudinal vertical section through the device.

FIGURE 5 is afront view of the device.

FIGURE 6 is a view taken from the doffer end of the device.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the bed plate of a rotary cylinder latch needle knitting machine, having a needle cylinder 3 carrying the usual latch needles 4, and 2 designates the present fiber transfer device, which is attached with a proper adjustment so that the dofier 13 feeds the short staple fibers to the needles in transit. The supporting frame of the device carries a removable supplemental frame 8, carrying a short vertical shaft 7, at whose lower end is an adjustably mounted spur gear 6, which is the drive gear of the device, and is itself driven by an annular gear, not shown, carried by the needle cylinder. The shaft 11 is driven by this vertical shaft by miter gears, not shown, and as shown in FIGURE 2a, its sprocket 12 through the chain 18, drives shaft 20, of the doffer 13 through sprocket 27, and through the 3,095,614 Patented July 2, 1963 sprocket 18', drives card clothed main drum 14, while sprocket 20 drives the clearing brush 16, which in turn through a series of spur gears, not shown, drive the two pairs of feed-in fluted rollers 33 and 34, respectively.

The sprockets are so selected that the shaft 11 through its sprocket 12, drives the doifer three inches at its periphery to one inch peripheral speed of the main drum, while the sprocket 20" may be changed to increase or decrease the speed of the two pairs of feed-in rollers. The speed of the pair 33 is slower than that of the pair 34, so that a slight stretch is given to the ribbon formed roving or sliver as it is pulled through the slot 41 of the finger guard 40 and fed to the card clothing or active periphery of the main drum.

Mounted between the two spaced standards 35 is the .removable transparent plate 40, provided with an elon- 7 the same from edge to edge, and also centers in the feedin rollers, and permits the operator to see the entering of the roving or sliver to the feed-in rollers without jeopardizing his fingers.

This device is exceedingly light in weight, to be easily attached and removed from the knitting machine, and is so narrow as to permit 8 to be installed on a 23-inchmachine and 16 on a 36-inch knitting machine. 7

The train of gears that operate the feed-in fluted rolls of this device are so arranged that the entrance pair 33 rotate at a slightly lower speed than the inner pair, that is the inner pair has one or two less teeth than those of the former, so that a slight stretching of the ribbon of fibers is given to them before they are deliveredas a rib-- bon centrally of the active surface of the main drum.

By using a single sprocket chain, with a thirty-tooth sprocket 12 on the cross shaft 11, a ten-tooth sprocket 27 on the doifer shaft, and a twenty tooth sprocket 18' on the main drum shaft 20', which proportions may be varied, however, a proper feeding for the liner or outer garment pile fabric will result.

The sprocket 20" on the clearing brush shaft may vary from ten to fifteen teeth, or more, according to the weight of the roving or sliver being used.

In practice the overall width of this device is about 5 inches, and where necessary, supports (not shown) may be used to regulate the position of the doffer 13 relative to the needles, and the height of the transfer device above the bed plate.

Where this transfer device is used with a spring needle knitting machine, a support, not shown, is connected to the table of the knit-ting machine, and the cross shaft is driven from an intermediate gear, not shown.

It will be noted that the short straight strips B of bristles of the doifer are slanted or at an angle, the high side being toward the incoming needles, that is anticlockwise, so that the needles can find no free passages between the rows of bristles, as is the case when the strips are radially parallel, and also as the strips all terminate on the same lines at or adjacent to the edges of the brush, there are no shoulders, as is the case when the bristles are in a spiral, wound upon the cylindrical pulley-like drum of the dofifer. Thus the needles receive the fibers more evenly therein, and a more uniform pile face results. This is of great importance.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings, there is here provided and produced a fiber transfer device, that is smaller and lighter in weight than those now in use, is easily and quickly attached and removed, provides a more even distribution of the fibers to the needles, and prevents finger injury, while giving to the operator full view of the feed-in rolls, to insure the proper central position of the roving or sliver in ribbon form to the feed-in rolls, which deliver a flattened ribbon, the same approximate area from edge to edge to the active surface of the main drum for a more evenly brushed off needle" delivery by the doffer to the needles in transit.

What is claimed is:

1. A fiber transfer device, including in combination, a main supporting frame, a main dru-m having a fiber receiving surface mounted in the frame, a plurality of pairs of feed-in rollers at one end of the frame for feeding fibers to the main drum, a dotfer brush mounted on the frame at'the end remote from the feed-in rollers to remove fibers from the main drum, the active surface of the brush being of greater width than the active surface of the main drum, and a slotted transparent sliver guide and finger protector mounted in the frame in advance of the feeding rollers.

2. A fiber. transfer device including a main frame, a main drum having a fiber receiving surface mounted in said frame, a plurality of pairs of feed-in rollers mounted adjacent one end of the frame for feeding fibers to the main drum,'-a doifer brush mounted in the frame at the remote end of the frame to the feed-in rollers and to remove fibers from the main drum, and a transparent slotted plate mounted in the frame in advance of the feed-in rollers to provide means to form a sliver in ribbon form prior to its gripping by the feed-in rollers, and to centralize such ribbon in the rollers.

3. A fiber transfer device as claimed in claim 2, wherein there is mounted in the frame above the feed-in rollers adjacent the main drum a rotary brush for clearing loose fibersfrom the feed-in rollers and delivering same to the main drum.

4. A fiber transfer device, including in combination, a supporting frame, a main drum carried thereby and provided with a fiber receiving surface, a dofier having a bristle surface of approximately the same diameter as the main drum carried by the frame in operative relation to the main drum, two pairs of fluted feed-in rollers carried by the frame at the remote end thereof to the doffer, the pair of feed-in rollers adjacent the main drum being rotated at a slightly greater speed than the other pair of feed-in rollers to impart a slight stretch to the fibers before the fibers are delivered to the main drum, and a transparent slotted plate mounted in the frame at the remote end to the dotfer and in advance of the feed-in rollers to guide and form a longitudinal batt of short loose fibers in ribbon form for delivery to the feed-in rollers.

5. A fiber transfer device, including in combination, a main supporting frame, a main drum having a fiber receiving surface mounted in said frame, a plurality of pairs of feed-in rollers adjacent one end of the frame for feeding fibers to the main drum, a doffer brush mounted at one end of the frame remote from the feed-in rollers and having a bristle surface wider than the fiber receiving surface of the main drum, for removing fibers from the main drum and delivering such fibers to the hooks of knitting needles of a rotary cylinder knitting machine, and a transparent slotted finger guard mounted at the end of the frame adjacent to the feed-in rollers to form the fibers into a ribbon before delivery to the feed-in rollers and to permit the initial feeding of the fibers to be seen by the operator.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 240,821 Ferguson May 3, 1881 318,121 Klein May 19, 1885 733,383 Gahagan July 14, 1903 1,015,835 Potter Jan. 30, 1912 1,726,919 Penney et a1. Sept. 3, 1929 1,848,370 Moore Mar. 8, 1932 2,263,970 Jannink Nov. 25, 1941 2,600,969 Clapperton June 17, 1952 2,900,672 Hollingsworth Aug. 25, 1959 2,953,912 Hill Sept. 27, 1960 2,971,357 Hill Feb. 14, 1961 

1. A FIBER TRANSFER DEVICE, INCLUDING IN COMBINATION, A MAIN SUPPORTING FRAME, A MAIN DRUM HAVING A FIBER RECEIVING SURFACE MOUNTED IN THE FRAME, A PLURALITY OF PAIRS OF FEED-IN ROLLERS AT ONE END OF THE FRAME FOR FEEDING FIBERS TO THE MAIN DRUM, A DOFFER BRUSH MOUNTED ON THE FRAME AT THE END REMOTE FROM THE FEED-IN ROLLERS TO REMOVE FIBERS FROM THE MAIN DRUM, THE ACTIVE SURFACE OF THE BRUSH BEING OF GREATER WIDTH THAN THE ACTIVE SURFACE OF THE MAIN DRUM, AND A SLOTTED TRANSPARENT SILVER GUIDE AND FINGER PROCTECTOR MOUNTED IN THE FRAME IN ADVANCE OF THE FEEDING ROLLERS. 